Lime and fertilizer distributer.



E. M. BIGKERSTAFP. I LIME AND FERTILIZER DISTEIBUTER.

APPLIUATIOH FILED MAR. 29, I910. RENEWED D120. 6, 1910.

981,160, Patented Jan.10,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

25 E I I El Att orneys E. M. BIGKfiRsTAFF.

' LIME AND FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTEB.

APPLICATION rum) MAR. 29, 1910. RENEWED D110. 5, 1910.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

2 BHBETSSHEBT 2.

Minyentor i Witnesses M6 Attorneys .ELMER M. niciinas'rnrr, or cocnaANroN,PnNNsYLvANIA.

m L ma AND FERTILIZER nis'rmnu'rna.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. 10, 191i.

. Application filed larch 29, 1910, Serial 1o .'552,134. RenewedDece'mbcr 5, 1910. Serial No. 595,736.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER M. BICKER- STAFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at .Cochranton, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Lime and Fertilizer Distributer,- of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a lime and fertilizer sower of the broadcast type and consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its partsas hereinafter shown and described.

The object of the invention is to provide.

a light and durable sower of the character indicated which is adapted to evenly and speedily distribute lime, fertilizer and the l1ke and in a manner calculated to produce satisfactory results when the said material is turned under the soil.

With the above object in view the machine includes a hopper which is mountedv upon axle sections that meet or abut at their inner ends. Wheels of peculiar construction and especially adapted to be used on a machine of this kind are fixed to the outer end' portions of the said axle sectionsand' a draft tongue is provided at its rear end with a bearing which receives the meeting end portions of the said axle sections. Thesaid axle sections arejournaled in the ends of'the hopper and the hopper is provided in its bottom with a perforated'plate under which a series of,perforatedplates,or valves are adaptedto operate. A lever mechanismgis, provided for moving thesaid valvesin order' that the passage ways through the said *perg 'forationsmay be increased, as desiredQfl'jThe axle sections are provided" with stirreis fand lump breakers of peculiar configurationand peculiarrelation to the perforated. bot tom'of thehopper. A combined 'cover andlf screen,is hingedly. attachedto the' hoppei'j and when in osition over the hopper} may; be convenient y used as a screen forfremov' ing foreign bodies from the material as'it is placed-in the hopper; After the hopper has been properly charged with material the said cover may be swung over upon its hinges and thus the foreign bodies retamed upon the top of the cover are passed oil".

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a top plan view of the sower. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 1s a longitudinal sectional View of a portion of the same out onthe line 44- of Fig.1. Fig. 5 is a transverse see so a the cover of the same cuton theline 17-.= 7 I i v of Fig. 1.

The lime and fertilizer sower consists of a hopper 1 which includes metallic end.

pieces 2 and'wooden side pieces 3.: The end provi pieces 2 are provided with bearings 4. A

tongue 5 passes at its rear end portion throu h the .forward side piece 3 and is. ded with a bearingeti. Braces. 7 are connected at their rearends tothe forward ed esof the end pieces 2*of'the hopper 1 U The hopper 1' is provided with ja per orfated bottom I 8 which is concaved or approxi- -I'nately semi-cylindrical. Guides 9"are fixed to the front and rear portions of the bottom of the hopper 1 and lie under the perforated bottom plates.8.. Valve "strips 10' are lo-- cated at their edge portions in the guides 9 and lie under the bottomplate 8 of the -The said strips 10 are provided hop' er. wit perforations 11' which at times are adaptedto be brought into register with the perforations in the bottom plates 8 of the hopper.

strips 10 so that their perforations nay be brought into register or nearly so w th the .perforations in the bottom plate 8 and said means preferably consists of a rack'bar 12 v attached-to each strip and having their rack orteetl portions opposite each other and overlapping each other longitudinally of, the

bottom of the hopper. A spider13 is fc i ired -jat' its opposite ends 1 to the opposite guides 9- and. also serves as means. for rejceivin bars.

g the overlapping portions of the rack -An arbor 1421s journaled in the Spider13 and at it's upper 'end is provided and passes th'rough'an elongated opening 17 ina plate 18 attached to'the rear side of the I hopper 1. A pin 19 is also located in the opening 17 and is provided with a clamp nut, 20;;by means of which after the said [pin-shes been adjusted to a desired position mi-the. said opening 17 it may be fixed by tig ening the said nut 20 thereon. By adan at" their forwardends -are connected with the rear portions of the *to'n ue- 5.

Means is provided formoving the. valve -withfa ear disk 15 which meshes with-"the teeth; o {the rack barsv 121 A lever-16 is fixed to the arbor 14; and extends rearwardly 5 justing the pin 19 in the opening 17 and securing the same to the plate 18 in the manner as indicated the extent of the swinging movement of the level 16 may be limited or prescribed and consequently when the lever is swun into engagement with the said pin it will indicate that the valve strips have been moved to such an extent as to bring theirperforations 11 into a proper or predetermined relat-ion'with the perforations in the bottom 8 of the hopper 1. By such an arrangement it will be seen that the flow of the material from the hopper may be regulated to a nicety.

vAxle sections 21 are journaled at their inner ends in the bearings at the rear end of the tongue and at their outer end ortionsinthe bearings 4 provided in the end pieces 2 of the ho per 1. The said axle sections 21 are in a mement with each other and a supporting Wheel 22 is fixed to the outer end portion of each of the said sections. The axle sections 21 are preferably the outer made of pipe or tubing and each said section is provided with a series of transversely disposed pins 23 and a beater or disintegrator 24. The said heaters or disintegrators are formed from wire or rods and are passed at regular intervals transversely through the sections 21 and have inter mediate portions spaced from the sides of the said sections, the spaced sections at one side-of the axle section being between the ends of the spaced sections at the opposite sides thereof. Thepins'23 and disintegrators 2 1 operate in and through the material carried by the hopper 1 just above the bottom plate 8 and are designedto effectually agitate the material andreduce any lumps that itshould contain to a pulverized or powdered state. The axle sections 21 are providedat points beyond the ends of the hopper 1 with transversely disposed pins 25. The hub of each wheel 22 consists of three pieces, namely an inner'plate 26 having recesses 27 adapted to recelve one of the pins 25 and an intermediate portion 28 and an outer portion 29. Threaded pins 30 are fixed tothe axle sections 21 and project beyond the ends thereof. The inner plates 26 of the hub receive the outer portions of the axle section 21 as do also the intermediate portions 28 but the outer plates 29 receive the pins 30 only. Axle nuts 31 are screwthreaded upon the pin 30 and bear against plates 29 and serve to keep the parts of the hub in. proper position with relation to each other.

Spokes 32 are engaged at their inner ends with the intermediate hub portion 28 and .at their outer ends pass through a tire 33 made preferably from channel iron. The side flanges 34 ofthe said tire are outwardly disposed and nuts 35 are screw threaded upon the outer ends of the spokes 32 and lie between the flanges 34 of the tire 33. In each wheel 32 the spokes 22 are in staggered relation. By so connecting the outer ends of the s okes with the wheel rims the periphmiss 0 the rims are rou hened to such an extent to insure frictiona contact between the rims of the wheels 22 and the ground as to cause the said wheels to rotate their respective axle shafts 21.

A combined cover and screen 36 is hinged at one edge to the forward side piece 3 of thehopper 1 and at the upper edge thereof. The frame of the cover 36 is provided with openings 37 which are rabbeted at their inner edges as at 38. Screens 39 are located atinto the hopper as indicated. Any forei bodies as for instance stone or the like Wlll remain upon the top of the screen and when they have been accumulated thereon in suificient quantities the said cover may be swung upon 1ts hinges whereby the said foreign bodies will be cast off.

Thus it will be seen that a sim le device is provided for distributing in a roadcast manner powdered or sim1 ar material in quantities that may be predetermined and that therefore the device that has been described is especially adapted for depositin lime and fertilizer upon the soil in beneficia quantities and at proper intervals.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A distributer comprising a hop er having end pieces and side pieces, a dra t tongue passing through the forward side piece and attached to the rear side iece, braces connected at their forward en s with the tongue and connected at their rear ends with the end pieces of the hopper, axle sections journaled at their inner ends to the ton e and at their outer portions in the end PIECES of the hopper, traction wheels fixed to the outer ends of the axle sections, stirrers carried by the axle sections, said hop forated bottom located be tions.

2. A distributer comprising a hopper consisting of side pieces and end pieces and a perforated bottom, a tongue passing throu h the forward side piece and secured to tie rear side piece of the ho per and having a bearing, braces connecte at their forward er having a perow the axle secends with the tongue and at the rear ends with the end pieces of the hopper, axle sections journaled at their inner ends in the bearing of the tongue and at their outer portlons in the end pieces of the hop er, traction Wheels fixed to the outer on s of the axle sections, stirrers carried by the axle sections and located over the bottom of the hopper, and adjustable valves located under the bottom of the hopper and adapted to be moved to increase or diminish the transverse area of the openings through the bottom of the hopper.

3. A distributer consistingof a hopper havin side-pieces, end pieces and a perforated ottom, a tongue passing through the forward side piece and secured-to the rear side piece of the hopper and having a bearing located within the ho per, braces connected at their forward en s with the tongue and at their rear ends with the end pieces of the hopper, axle sections journaled at their innerends in the bearings carried by the tongue and at their outer end portions in the end pieces of the hopper, traction wheels fixed to the outer ends of the axle sections, stirrers carried by the axle sections and located within the ho per over the erforated bottom thereof, gui es located un er the bottom of the hopper, perforated valve strips located in the guides, a lever mechanism for moving the guide strips to increase or diminish the transverse area of the perfora- -tions in the bottom of the hopper.

,4. A distributer comprising a hopper having side pieces and and pieces, a tongue passing through the forward side piece and having a bearing, braces connecting the said tongues With the end pieces of the hopper,

axle sections journaled at their inner ends inv the bearing carried by the tongue and journaled at their outer portions in the end pieces of the hopper, traction wheels fixed tothe projecting ends of the axle sections, said hopper having a perforated bottom, stirrers carried by the axle sections and located within the hopper over the perforated bottom thereof and means for increasing or decreasing the transverse area of the perforations in the bottom of the hopper.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my s1gnature in the presence of two witnesses.

ELMER M. BICKERSTAFF.

' Witnesses:

FRANK B. OCHSENREITER, C. E. Dom. 

